symposium

Definition of symposium

symposia

symposiums

1a: a convivial party (as after a banquet in ancient Greece) with music and conversationb: a social gathering at which there is free interchange of ideas

2a: a formal meeting at which several specialists deliver short addresses on a topic or on related topics — compare colloquiumb: a collection of opinions on a subject; especially: one published by a periodicalc:discussion

A break in the team’s schedule allowed for Gaines to jet across the country, solely to hear Vaccaro speak on the rising discussion of amateurism and the NCAA at the Harvard Sports Law Symposium in 2011.

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'symposium.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

It was drinking more than thinking that drew people to the original symposia and that gave us the word symposium. The ancient Greeks would often follow a banquet with a drinking party they called a "symposion." That name came from "sympinein," a verb that combines pinein, meaning "to drink," with the prefix syn-, meaning "together." Originally, English speakers only used "symposium" to refer to such an ancient Greek party, but in the 18th century British gentlemen's clubs started using the word for gatherings in which intellectual conversation was fueled by drinking. By the 19th century, "symposium" had gained the more sober sense we know today, describing meetings in which the focus is more on the exchange of ideas and less on imbibing.

Origin and Etymology of symposium

Latin, from Greek symposion, from sympinein to drink together, from syn- + pinein to drink — more at potable